Present-day Longling was incorporated first incorporated into the Song Dynasty in 1253, when it fell under the jurisdiction of Anlongdong as part of the. In 1402, the area was reorganized as Anlong Prefecture, until 1666, when it was again reorganized as. Xilong Prefecture underwent administrative changes in 1729, but otherwise went unchanged until 1912, when the Republic of China was established and the area was reorganized as Xilong County. The area became part of the People's Republic of China in March 1950, and a communist-led local government was set up on March 18, 1950. On January 1, 1953 the area was renamed from Xilong County to Longlin County.
Longlin County is divided into 6 townsand 10townships. The county government is seated in the town of. The county's 6 towns are Xinzhou, Yacha,,, De'e, and. The county's 10 townships are,,,,,,,,, and.
The Zhuang People of Longlin have various cultural similarities to the Yue people who historically inhabited the area, including the use of, as well as various autonyms. The towns of,, and, as well as and all have significant Zhuang populations.
Miao People
The county is home to six different groups of Miao people:
Lopsided Miao, whose autonyms are Meng Sha and Meng Xia
Red Head Miao, whose autonyms are Meng Lin, Meng Lun, Meng Ling, or Shou Lun
Vegetable Miao, also known in Chinese as the Ginger Planing Miao, the Zai River Miao, and the Zai Village Miao, and whose autonyms are Meng Jia Ka and Meng Bai
Despite these different groups within the Miao populations of Longling, all groups share similar ethnic origins. The Miao People of Longlin County are believed to be native to Hubei and Hunan who migrated southwest towards Guizhou and Yunnan, and later arrived in the region during the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. The probably reason for this migration appears connected to the Qing suppression of Miao uprisings in Guizhou and Xiangxi. The Miao People of Longlin County have many cultural similarities to Miao populations found in Guizhou, including shared folklore, linguistic dialects, naming conventions, toponymy, rituals, and celebrations. The towns of and De'e, as well as the townships of,, and all have significant Miao populations. The former townships of Kechang, Changfa, and Changme also have considerable Miao populations.
Yi People
Longlin is home to a considerable amount of Yi |WD=Interlanguage link|Zhuchang Township|lt=|zh|猪场乡 (隆林县
The county's Gelao People moved to the area from Guizhou during the early Qing Dynasty, with local legends suggesting that the reason for this migration could have been conflict or famine. In May 1990, a group of people known as the Lai, who moved to the area from Guizhou during the early Ming Dynasty, were determined to be part of the Gelao people by the county government after a five day hearing on the matter. When the change was made in 1990, 978 people who were formerly classified as Lai in ethnicity were re-designated Gelao in ethnicity. The county's Gelao people are largely found in De'e,,,, and. The villages of Sanchong and Moji have particularly large Gelao populations.
Han Chinese
The first migration of Han Chinese to the area took place shortly after the Song Dynasty, and a document from 1673 suggests more than 10 Han families lived in area at the time. Areas with large Han populations are, Yacha,,,,,,,, and.
Economy
As of 2019, the county's primary sector accounts for 26.1% of the economy, the secondary sector accounts for 19.5%, and the tertiary sector accounts for 54.4%. As of 2019, the disposable income of the county's urban residents averages 32,508 Yuan, and the disposable income of the county's rural residents averages 9,972 Yuan.
Culture
Each year, at the beginning of the lunar new year, a festival in the village of De'e is held, featuring the music and dance of the various ethnic groups who live in the area. Each ethnic group also has its own traditions to celebrate the lunar new year, some of which are shared across multiple different groups. The county's different peoples also have festivals unique to their own ethnicity, as well as festivals shared across multiple different ethnicities, such as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Double Third Festival.
